Laws & Rules

City Charter
A city charter is a legal document establishing a municipality. In Texas, a general-law city having at least 5,000 residents can choose to hold a Charter election, adopt a City Charter, and become a home rule city.

In Huntsville, the discussion started in 1967, with a charter adoption in 1968. In 1982, a provision was added that a charter commission of at least 3 citizens would be appointed every 5 years to review the charter. However, there has been no indication found in the City Council minutes that this occurred between 1993 and 2002.

In 2014, a Charter Action Registry was compiled by SHSU intern Makeebba Deterville, bringing together the prior versions and City Council meeting references of primary steps in the process for each.

Click here to view the current Charter, prior Charter versions, and the Charter Action Registry.